Sump

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KellyFrancis

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 14, 2012
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Somerset WI
Ok, I may have the opportunity to expand my 55 to a 75 and if I do, I want to do it proper from the start with sump and skimmer and all that good stuff.

So....Enter research phase 1.... Google. I've been advised to get a pre-made sump with a HOB overflow (or whatever its called) as the tank can't be drilled. I can do that. I have several questions though...

1. How do I tell the difference between a good sump and a bad sump from a photo? Or, for that matter, at all...

2. How hard is it to get some pre-cut glass and just silicone it together? Is it harder than it seems and, therefore, just safer for a compete newb to get one premade? One is assuming its cheaper, how much cheaper? I've been poking around a little at the DIY section, but I pretty much just get confused at what I'm looking at with all the technical mumbo-jumbo, lol. I'll figure it out eventually...

3. Since the tank can't be drilled, am I looking at something like this:

Sump design.jpg

With something like this for a sump:

36inch1.jpg

I really have no idea what I'm doing and have just decided to jump head-long into the lake instead of poking toes in first. And I think I'm lost as a result... Any suggestions or pointing of directions would be most appreciated. Thanks!

36inch1.jpg

Sump design.jpg
 
My suggestion would be leave the sand bed in the 55 and put it under the 75 with no baffles. Run a Berlin sump. Basically build a wall of rock in the sump going about halfway up. Put the overflow on the left and the return on the right or vice versa an put chaeto under the overflow side of the wall. A 55 is long enough the bubbles dissipate before they get to the return pump so baffles just get dirty. I have my I sump skimmer right next to the return pump. If it wasn't hard to get a picture under my stand id show you what I'm talking about
 
This is my sump. Got the glass for the baffles cut at lowes. Siliconed them in myself. Drain on the left. Then a bubble trap before the return section. Mag 12 for return pump with a T to divert flow to the refugium on the right.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

ImageUploadedByMonsterAquariaNetwork1346866746.222433.jpg
 
Is that women up to scale? She's pretty hot lol

Looks about right, why not buy a used sump on here or CL that way we can see it first.

Go S. Vettel #1 rb8
 
That's a good over flow I have the same one the 900gph on my 150. Just buy an additional u pipe to rotate them every other month to keep algae from building up in them. I take the old one off and set it outside fr a week then rinse the dried algae out of it. That sump is too complicate in my opinion. The way it baffled doesn't leave much room for live rock or a decent fuge.
 
And I've found filter socks to be nitrate factories in a reef. I put cc starfish in my sump as a clean up crew since they won't eat pods or the micro fauna and do a good job of eating film algae and detritus.
 
You don't need to buy a pre-made sump if you don't want to drill the main aquarium; you can just use the 55 gallon as the sump for the 75 gallon. I would do something along the lines of what Cooterbrown described except that I would add a baffle & some foam/mesh around the return pump to help keep any debris & chaeto from getting sucked in.

As for the overflow(s), I would just make the one that's described in the DIY section stickies; I have an Eshopps overflow box on my 55 gallon, and it's pretty loud & loses suction in one of the two tubes on a regular basis thereby requiring me to restart the suction.
 
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